F1 2017 Abu Dhabi GP Practice – Williams Martini Racing

F1 2017 Abu Dhabi GP Practice – Williams Martini Racing

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Practice

Paddy Lowe, Chief Technical Officer: It was the final practice of the year and the final Formula One practice for Felipe. We had a good day and we got everything done that we wanted to achieve. Starting with Felipe, we ran a fairly normal programme. We did some special tests in FP1 aimed at 2018, and his pace seemed reasonably competitive, on both high and low fuel. For Lance, he ran a more unusual programme, putting on an extra set of tyres that we borrowed from FP3, to give him a bit more practice particularly aimed at qualifying, which will be in the cooler evening slot that we have for FP2 as opposed to FP3 tomorrow. It’s also the final evening of the year where the mechanics will rebuild the FW40 before it’s put away. It’s not something the public get to see, that last build and the last time on the FIA measuring patch, but that will happen somewhere around 2am. I think that’s actually quite a special moment that no one gets to hear about.

Felipe Massa: I think it was a normal Friday to be honest, I was trying to get a feel for the car and tyres. I did some good lap times too. I didn’t feel that anything was different or strange today compared with any other Friday, but maybe when we get to the first race of next season I will miss this, the competition, and everything else. I’m ready for that and I think it’s the right time. The only thing I can say is that I’m grateful for everything so let’s see how it’s going to be Saturday and Sunday. Hopefully we can have a good one and finish well.

Lance Stroll: It was a productive day with a lot of running and a good amount of laps, so in general it was good. Tomorrow is when it counts and we want to score points on Sunday. Tonight, we have to look at a few things, but so far it has been a positive day with no big issues. I have a good feel for the car and we are heading in the right direction so everything is positive. I shall work on a few things tonight, especially the last sector, and we need to try and get into Q3, as it has been more difficult with the competitors gaining on us lately. As for the track, it is quite forgiving and I think it is pretty cool driving into the sunset and the night.